1899 New York Times take on the “automobile” holds up well
16.01.2026 15:30
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1899 New York Times take on the “automobile” holds up well
Spicy title for a mild take: Recalls and ballot measures are often used by very wealthy people with a ton of free time to subvert decisions by legitimately elected officials and block housing
Representative democracy is better!
open.substack.com/pub/jeremyl/...
In crazy political times, good things are still happening in local governments across America! As we head into 2026, I’m excited about all the communities that are reimagining what a city can be
open.substack.com/pub/jeremyl/...
Chanterelle that forgot where its gills are supposed to go
(This is the rosecomb mutation, common mutation with mushrooms where gills grow on cap as well as underside)
Also pretty nifty for getting ideas about places to look for mushrooms, berries, other good edibles!
For those who have ever struggled to understand our Byzantine affordable housing system open.substack.com/pub/jeremyl/...
I want to make it easier to build childcare for families who need it
Since writing about the barriers to childcare, I’ve gotten some pretty amazing hate mail from people who can’t stand the sound of children playing. Enjoy!
jeremyl.substack.com/p/nimbytales...
I didn’t mean to be demeaning, pardon me for assuming you didn’t—most people on social media don’t!
The challenge is unsubsidized IZ isn’t a good affordability policy either; it only works if market rents stay high in perpetuity. Subsidy solves the deadweight loss problem and produces more IZ homes
Consider reading the article. Most places that have implemented IZ have not seen any reduction in segregation or increase in affordability, in large part bc they don’t address the underlying exclusionary zoning + provide subsidy for the IZ units
”Inclusionary Zoning” doesn’t actually make zoning inclusionary. In fact, it’s not zoning at all!
jeremyl.substack.com/p/inclusiona...
A recent working paper estimates federal “planning assistance caused municipalities to build 20% fewer housing units per decade over the 50 years that followed” from the 1960s
Shocking if remotely true that adding planners directly caused lower housing production
www.tom-cui.com/assets/pdfs/...
The YIMBY movement continues a healthy discourse around a unique project jeremyl.substack.com/p/yes-in-nob...
Eh YIMBYs have been pretty effective at walking and chewing gum at the same time jeremyl.substack.com/p/yes-in-nob...
I had a surprisingly good time at my highschool reunion
Maybe in ten years time we’ll have started our long slide into obsolescence and baldness, but tonight everyone at least seems more beautiful, more alive and real than our half-baked teenage selves
jeremyl.substack.com/p/suburban-h...
Just to highlight some regional variance (and how rich the inner Bay Area is compared to much of the state) just want to point out that this is almost double the median household income in Sacramento lol
Thank you! I’m going to do another post in the near future breaking down the realities of “affordable housing” even further
Thank you Dr. Grace! Wrote it myself :)
Rents are calculated based on the number of bedrooms, and a three-bedroom apartments is calculated for a household of 4.5 residents. So it’s the average rent between a 4 and a 5-person household. But 4.5-person households don’t exist…
HUD!
A family of four earning $160,900 per year qualifies for a “low-income” three bedroom apartment in San Mateo County!
open.substack.com/pub/jeremyl/...
A family of four earning $160,900 per year qualifies for a “low-income” three bedroom apartment in San Mateo County
When rents become extremely high, the government’s definition of poverty stretches
open.substack.com/pub/jeremyl/...
This is why “affordable housing“ as we’ve branded it can’t solve the housing shortage—bc $136k qualifies a household of 4 for “low-income” housing according to HUD in some places! open.substack.com/pub/jeremyl/...
Cool! I always thought Key went up to Richmond, sad to have my fantasies disabused
Congrats! I hope you as AICP to all of your handles, email, signed letters, etc
Has banning algorithmic price fixing had any impact on rents in San Francisco?
Probably not!
I don’t think banning RealPage actually caused higher rents in SF, I don’t even think it’s an outright bad idea. But banning algorithms for pricing rents doesn’t do anything to solve the underlying supply
I agree 100%! Shortage of housing is downstream of rules that ban housing, and we should absolutely reform those rules. Tried to make that clear in the article, pardon me if it’s not
Solving the housing shortage to make homes more affordable requires an all-of-the-above approach
jeremyl.substack.com/p/affordable...
When you wonder why housing is so expensive in San Francisco, the Bay Area, California, America
People will be like “zoning is a completely rational tool to promote public health and safety, leading to better housing options and living conditions” and then the zoning codes include sections about “fenestration variety“
I love reading zoning codes and finding rules that just make new housing look weird like this “Fenestration Variety” standard
The planners have gone mad!
